The effect of family financial socialization levels on money attitudes of university students

Abstract

The purpose of the study is to manifest university students' relationships with money not only in terms of their family financial socialization levels, but also in terms of their demographic and socio-economic characteristics. Moreover, in order to measure family financial socialization levels of university students, a new two-dimensional scale, which is composed of “financial experience and learning” and “money management skills”, is developed. The study is crucial in that it is most likely to create positive financial behaviours between parents and students by means of developing informal education in family. Besides, the research is highly likely to become beneficial for creating new financial education programs in educational institutions particularly on the issues of money attitudes and financial socialization. As far as the cause and effect relationships are concerned, it is detected that students’ worries about savings and financial literacy decreased inasmuch as their financial experiences and learning increased. In addition to this result, it is observed that students’ mindful and responsible attitude increased in that their money management skills increased. Finally, it is ascertained significant differences between family financial socialization and demographic and socio-economic characteristics and also between money attitudes and demographic and socio-economic characteristics.